Is Liam Livingstone playing today's IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 match between PBKS and RCB?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Liam Livingstone is in the playing XI and will feature in today's IPL 2025 Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The vital clash is being played at Mullanpur, Chandigarh, on Thursday, May 29.
Liam Livingstone had played seven matches in the season before he was dropped. He returned to the side in their final league match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in place of Tim David, who missed out due to an injury.
Unfortunately for Livingstone, he could not contribute in the game as he was dismissed for a first-ball duck off William O'Rourke, caught plumb in front. While it was expected that RCB would make use of his off-spin, surprisingly, he did not bowl a single ball in the match.
Despite his failure, he will continue to be on the side for today's game. This is another opportunity for the English all-rounder to prove himself under pressure in an important match.
RCB Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma.
RCB Impact Subs: Mayank Agarawal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.
A poor season for Liam Livingstone in RCB colors
Liam Livingstone was acquired for a handsome amount of ₹8.75 crore by RCB during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Coming in with the reputation of a big hitter, the English all-rounder has failed to live up to the expectations this season.
Having played eight matches, Livingstone has managed to score just 87 runs from seven innings at an average of 14.50 and a strike-rate of 126.08 with one half-century, which are poor numbers for a player of his calibre.
He has not been great with the ball either. Bowling in five innings, Liam Livingstone has picked up only two wickets at an average of 38.00 and an economy rate of 8.44. Given his high price and poor performance, it will be interesting to see if RCB decide to retain him for the next season.